


love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears

by writtenndust



Series: After the Storm [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-13
Updated: 2012-08-13
Packaged: 2017-11-12 01:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writtenndust/pseuds/writtenndust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team meets Pepper for the first time and decide that Tony's utterly and completely, whipped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears

**Author's Note:**

> It's nothing really special, I just wanted to write something about Pepper coming back to the tower and seeing the destruction wrought on their home. Plus, include a little light-hearted ribbing on the part of Avengers team.

The tower was in absolute shambles. Tony would have liked to drag the battle a little further away from his doorstep, but apparently Loki and the almighty, ugly, super-Troopers cascading from the sky, had other plans. He didn’t even want to know about the bill for damages he was going to have thrown at him from the levelled City of New York.

Halfway through the fighting, whilst he was back to back with the Captain and sizing up a building to drop on their approaching enemy – and before he’d fallen unconscious but victorious from the clear blue sky - he decided that Thor was going to fork out a little for this. The Asgardian must have had something solid-gold they could pawn because at the rate they were going, he was going to have nothing left for his kids’ education; that was if his relationship with Pepper even survived to that point. Ever so briefly he had flying doubts. But then he’d look into her eyes and he’d see that beyond the fear and the grief and the anger, there was still love; far more than he felt he deserved. 

He took it though; because with Pepper there was no way he was giving up if there was even the slightest chance she was still in it. She was going to destroy him for this though, he was sure of it. And considering the state of their penthouse and the alarming condition of her hand-picked, custom-made leather sofa, he probably deserved the reaming he was dreading as he sat there at the corner of their island counter, suit still steaming and team members in various states of exhaustion, scattered throughout their living room. He was pretty sure the Hulk had even used one of Pepper’s favourite china vases as a spittoon before he finally shrunk back down to his well-mannered, science-y self.

He had a glass of scotch, missing a sip, sitting on the counter in front of him and a lit cigar dangling from his fingers; his arm hanging lazily off the edge of the bench as he slumped. Banner was meditating, perched on the edge of Pepper’s favourite, torn red sofa with his legs crossed and one of Tony’s t-shirts hanging off his somewhat skinnier frame. Clint sat on the plush rug, swearing on his mother's life that he'd never teach an Asgardian Demi-god how to play video games ever again and waving his hands in irritation as Thor beat him once again on Tony’s nineteen-eighty’s Nintendo console; playing some questionably violent game Tony didn’t even know he owned. And considering it was the only piece of tech that seemed to have survived the most recent onslaught, apart from JARVIS, Tony was convinced that thing could survive a hit from a nuclear bomb.

Natasha was perched on a foot-stool, quietly beating Steve at cards and Tony wondered if the Capt was yet aware of how well the Black Widow could cheat when you were distracted.

Tony took another sip of his scotch, letting the liquid warm him all the way to his toes. He’d considered getting out of the suit, and if the tower hadn’t taken such a blow, he probably already would have. But changing required going down to his workshop and he just hadn’t yet worked up the incentive to move. Not until he heard the doors of his private elevator open and the sound of six-inch stiletto heels tentatively crunching on broken glass as Pepper stepped into the room.

Everyone looked up, but it was Tony’s eyes that softened as he saw her face. She looked terrified.

Pepper was strong, he’d give her that. But this was her home as much as it was his and even though she knew how it all worked, sometimes he forgot that Pepper only got to see the damage after the fact. She only came in contact with it when she got home and she was tired and glad he was alive and finally angry with him for scaring her so completely. She only saw the place when there was nothing left for her to throw at him because it was all already destroyed. 

“Tony,” She breathed and he was up from his stool, dropping his cigar in his scotch as he made his way to her. The entire team watched them carefully and it didn’t even register with him that most of them didn’t even know who she was. Natasha knew, because she’d been unofficially assigned to shadow Pepper. Fury had never admitted it, but Tony knew that there had always been something questionable about the way Natasha had seemed to stick to Pepper, more than him. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful they thought Pepper needed protection, he just wished they’d understand that there were only a handful of people he trusted with Pepper’s life and none of them were in the room at the current moment; except JARVIS.

“Hey,” He whispered, touching her face gently as she stumbled over the broken glass. She pressed her hands to his shoulders to level herself, scanning the decimated living room with her eyes. “It’s alright, we’ll fix it.” He breathed and Pepper’s eyes shot to his face.

“Are you alright?”

He could see the tears lingering in the corners of her eyes and he smiled, grateful that his hands were free so that he could touch her hair.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He smirked. “Just a few cuts and scrapes, we’re all okay.” 

“I thought that was it, I saw it on the television and I missed your call and-” Tony shushed her with a gentle hand on her temple, his thumb brushing across her cheek.

“It’s alright, I’m fine. I’m fine _now_.” Pepper’s eyes softened when she caught the double meaning and Tony’s cheeks coloured just slightly enough for her to notice. She didn’t point it out, though.

“What happened here?” She blinked as she noticed the gash across his eyebrow. “Oh Tony, quick, sit down; I’ll fix this up.” She ushered him back to his perch at the counter, dropping her briefcase as she went and he smiled, basking in her gentle touch as she tilted his head back and tenderly prodded at the wound. “Natalie-” She looked up, blinking as Natasha took a moment to realize that Pepper was talking to her. “Sorry, Natasha; could you please grab me the first aid kit, there’s one in the bathroom.” Natasha was already on her feet and headed for the hallway. “Just down the hall and on the right; it’s in the cupboard under the sink.” Pepper forcibly turned Tony’s head back to her when he started to fidget and he knew that scared-Pepper had suddenly been replaced with fix-everything-Pepper.

“It’s not that bad, honestly.” Tony defended and Pepper huffed in disagreement. “Just a little gash, that’s all.”

“I meant the living room, Tony, look at this place.”

“We’ll redecorate.”

“Tony, there’s a human body imprint in the floor.” She gritted her teeth and Tony looked pleadingly up into her eyes. 

“I honestly didn’t think you’d notice that. But if you must know, that was Bruce.” Pepper rolled her eyes but Tony looked up at her, gripping her elbows and holding her close. He just needed her there and he hadn’t realized up until that moment, just how much. They had several sets of eyes watching them carefully and patiently, without prying or pushing. They’d drifted off into their own little world and Natasha smirked at the confused men as she made her way across the living room.

“What’s the deal?”Clint muttered as she returned from handing the first aid kit to Pepper.

“That’s Pepper.” She tilted her head in the couple’s direction, grinning as they heard Tony’s hiss and whine when Pepper applied some antiseptic cream to his eyebrow. 

“Okay.” He responded, questioningly.

“This Lady Pepper is Mr Stark’s betrothed?” Thor’s brow furrowed.

“Close enough, it seems.” Bruce mumbled from behind his closed eyes and they all looked in his direction before turning back to watch Pepper administering to Tony’s ‘wounds’, however non-fatal they were. Clint was fairly sure he had a bruise on his side that could give Tony’s eyebrow gash a run for its money.

“Well I didn’t see that coming.” Steve muttered derisively. “She seems so...” He looked to Natasha for the right word.

“Normal?”

“Nah...” He looked over to the couple again, smirking as Pepper slapped Tony’s hand away from the first aid kit. “Yeah, okay maybe normal is the word, but I was thinking more...she just doesn’t seem like his type. He came across as one of those guys who gets around, you know? He even said so himself; he’s a playboy.”

“It’s an act,” Natasha nodded. “She’s worked for him for nearly fifteen years – the world knows one Tony Stark, us included, and she knows another. And he’s got a massive jealous streak. I dare you to hit on her.” The Black Widow winked and Steve swallowed, shaking his head almost imperceptibly. “They’re good.” She continued, looking back toward them. “Probably should have been married years ago, but it’s like one of those relationships where that kind of technicality really doesn’t matter. They’ve been practically married the entire time I’ve known them.”

“Huh,” Clint smirked, studying them. “He’s totally whipped, isn’t he?”

“It would seem so.” Bruce answered with his eyes still closed.

“Completely; he loves it.” Natasha added as the rest of the team watched Pepper drag Tony up from his seat and direct him towards the door. And they all noticed how Tony put on a show of looking even more pathetic than he had before Pepper had shown up.

“We’re just heading down to the workshop so I can get out of this.” Tony gestured to his suit that still had a small spark flickering at the back of his neck and small billows of smoke coming up from his armpits. He’d lost his helmet somewhere along the way and the gloves had been tossed to the floor for the sake his ability to hold his glass of scotch.

“It’s nice to finally meet you all.” Pepper smiled sweetly and the others gestured kindly in return. “I’m just going to get Tony out of this, please, make yourselves as comfortable as possible.”

“They’re not coming back up here, are they?” Clint questioned as Tony and Pepper disappeared into the elevator and Bruce opened his eyes for a moment, just long enough to see the couple disappear. Natasha smirked.

“Not likely. He’s going to milk this for a good few days.”

“She falls for that act?” Steve scrunched up his nose in disgust.

“Not even a little bit.” She laughed. “But she humours him.” She kept her eyes fixed on the elevator doors as they closed. “That woman has a will of iron and endless patience where Stark’s concerned. It’s interesting to watch.”

The rest of them just nodded in quiet contemplation.

**

“So, Stark, that was your girlfriend, huh?” Clint smirked; the first to speak after nearly a full twenty minutes of munching on their Shawarma and staring at walls. The team was so exhausted, it had seemed that simply eating and talking at the same time, was an impossible task, but Clint had decided to overcome it for the sake of teasing one Anthony Stark.

“Who Pep? Yeah.” Tony narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“I’ve never heard you call her, Pep. That’s cute.” Natasha ribbed and Tony glared at her.

“I know what this is and I’m not going to bite.”

Steve and Bruce caught on to what was going on and each of them smiled behind their food. It was almost a given that Tony was, indeed, going to bite. He couldn’t help it. It was part of his nature; he just couldn’t let anyone else have the last word. He had to have some long, intellectual, sweeping monologue long after the last word was uttered, just to prove that he could have said last word, and hold it.

“She’s got you a little bit,” Clint glanced in Natasha’s direction, sharing a conspiratorial expression. “Under her thumb there, doesn’t she?”

“She does not.” Tony protested.

“Are you sure there?” Bruce chimed in and Tony turned to him quickly, looking completely betrayed that Bruce had even opened his mouth, let alone for the purpose of siding with the dynamic duo of S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Yes I’m sure! Pepper does not have me-” Tony froze at the sound of his phone chirping. He blinked at the group, looking from each smirking face to the next and internally declaring Thor his new best friend because he was the only one that either hadn’t joined the Dark Side, or just simply didn’t understand what was going on – or better yet, found his Shawarma more interesting.

“That’s Pepper, isn’t it?” Steve asked, breaking the silence. And if Tony wasn’t an evolved human being, he’d have growled at the man. But he was, so he stared the Captain down with a disapproving scowl as he pulled his phone out of his pocket; and of course, immediately regretted that his phone was transparent as the picture of Pepper appeared for everyone to see. 

“Hey Pep.” He smiled sweetly at the phone, trying desperately to ignore the sneering and giggling coming from the group around the table. Clearly, they were on their second wind, because the overwhelming sheet of exhaustion that had been clouding them a few minutes ago had been replaced with the collective ribbing of Tony Stark. He had to admit; at least they were working as a team. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering when you were going to be back? You said you were just going to get take-out.”

Tony coloured and the rest of the team tried valiantly to cover their laughter. “Aw, sorry Pep, look I won’t be long.”

“Alright, well,” Tony’s eyes widened just a little and Clint and Natasha shared a look, clearly wondering what Tony had seen on the phone that they couldn’t. All they could see was that it was Pepper, she wasn’t dressed provocatively or making a face that suggested anything lascivious. Bruce shrugged when they looked at him and they all looked back to the phone. “I’ve got paperwork for you to sign from the DC meeting, so I’ll be waiting.” Really only her tone of voice could be considered suggestive, but even that was a stretch. Somehow though, Tony was suddenly hot under the collar and restless in his seat.

“I gotta go.” He scrambled up from his seat, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and making his way toward the door.

“Did we miss something?” Clint questioned, looking completely confused.

Natasha shrugged. “Maybe they have a code-word...”

“What, _Paperwork_ is their code-word?” Steve shook his head, incredulous. “Pepper didn’t strike me as the type. Although-” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Stark doesn’t really seem like the type to actually do paperwork, so...”

He could hear them continue to debate the idea as he disappeared from the restaurant. He pulled his jacket on and stuffed his hands into his pockets, wandering down the street toward the great beacon of light that was Stark Tower, even if it was missing all the letters of his name, save one. It didn’t really matter to him; nor did it really matter what they thought of his relationship with Pepper. At least they weren’t belittling the fact that she was in his life; they hadn’t sat there and said that she deserved better, even though he knew that she did. If anything, they seemed to be expressing their approval, in a strange sort of way. They were including her in whatever kind of dynamic they were building amongst the six of them and he appreciated that. He and Pepper were a package deal. Phil had known that and he was glad that this group of misfits he was actually hoping to call his friends, sooner rather than later, were starting to realize it too.

Pepper was more like him than they were ever likely to know; but it didn’t bother him that no one was ever likely to understand just what they meant to each other. She was his cure for being alone, and he was hers. So yeah, he was going to come when she called – always. It didn't matter the reason for the call and if that made him whipped, then so be it.

He stopped at the curb, looking up at his business and his home, smiling as a thought came to him. He would invite them all to stay. Pepper would approve, of course she would, because even she had said to him as he’d been desperately tugging at his right boot, earlier in the lab, that she liked them too. And maybe he could ensure her safety just a little bit better, if he had a bunch of Super-heroes living with them.

He headed into the building, smiling at the night doorman as he made his way to the private elevator that would take him straight up to Pepper. The team had been right; she hadn’t been suggestive of lascivious when she was on the phone, but Tony knew Pepper. They’d already discussed DC and how she’d cut the meetings short to rush back home and be with him. He knew all the particulars and he knew there wasn’t any paperwork to sign. They didn’t have a code-word and they didn’t have a secret look.

But he knew Pepper and for the first time since installing the elevator, he felt that it was running far too damned slow.

The End.


End file.
